DENVER-
Colorado Republican Rep. Marilyn Musgrave on Tuesday urged embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to consider resigning “for the good of our country and out of loyalty to the president.”
Support for Gonzales has eroded as Congress investigates last year’s ousters of eight federal prosecutors and his role in a controversial warrantless eavesdropping program.
The Senate is prepared to hold a no-confidence vote on Gonzales, possibly this week, and five Republican senators have joined many Democrats in calling for his resignation.
Musgrave released the text of a brief letter to Gonzales saying Congress must focus on the war on terror, illegal immigration, energy, high gas prices and other issues without distractions.
“In light of the ongoing controversy, I respectfully ask that, for the good of our country and out of loyalty to the president, you consider stepping aside to ensure that the president, Congress, and the country’s leaders can rededicate themselves to the important issues facing our nation,” she wrote.
Musgrave is the second member of the Colorado delegation to call for Gonzales’ resignation in the past four days.
On Friday, Sen. Ken Salazar, a Democrat who supported Gonzales’ nomination, said the Justice Department had become too politicized and change was needed.
Republican Sen. Wayne Allard of Colorado said President Bush should decide Gonzales’ fate but said he has been disappointed with Gonzales at times.
“But here’s the problem as I see it. If you get rid of him, how do we get anybody confirmed to that position? We’re in a highly politically charged environment right here in Washington now. If he steps down, who is it that we can find to replace him, and right now I don’t see an alternative,” Allard said Monday.
Bush insisted Monday that Gonzales still has his support and denounced the planned no-confidence vote as political theater.
